If you’ve been with us a while, you know that pork tenderloins are one of my favorite protein items. Lean, and so adaptable to any flavor combination under the sun. They’re great seared in a pan and finished off in the oven, but I think where they really shine is on the grill…and that’s something we’ve been doing alot more of now that summer is here!

The good folks at Musselman’s asked me to develop a couple of recipes for them, which I always jump at the opportunity! We’re big fans of apple butter in this house, it’s long been a favorite pantry staple of mine to use as the backboneof flavorin dishes.

This time around, I made a simple barbecue sauce using Musselman’s Apple Butter as the base. It’s the perfect consistency for brushing onto meat on the grill as is, but I doctored it up a bit – some honey and brown sugar for additional sweetness, some cider vinegar for a little tang, and some molasses for depth of flavor. A little splash of bourbon would also probably be a great addition!

I used it on pork tenderloins, but would be equally as delicious on chops or chicken. Even barbecue sandwiches! Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to make a larger batch for a cookout. Definitely a good one to have up your sleeve this grilling season.

Tangy Apple Butter Pork Tenderloin

2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)

3/4 cup Musselman‘s apple butter

2 Tbsp molasses

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

Prepare grill by heating to medium-high heat. While grill is warming up, prepare the pork and the sauce.
Season the pork tenderloins with kosher salt and black pepper. Set aside.To prepare the basting sauce, combine apple butter, molasses, brown sugar, vinegar, and honey in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook the pork tenderloins over medium-high (direct) heat, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, begin brushing the sauce onto the tenderloins. Continue turning and brushing until pork registers 140 degrees, about 10-15 minutes more.
Remove tenderloins to a plate, and brush with the sauce one more time. Tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

Slice the tenderloin and serve immediately. Serves 6, with some leftovers!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the good people at Musselman’s Apple Butter. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A few weeks ago, the good folks at D’Artagnan sent me another box of goodies to do some recipe development with. I always look forward to their little “care packages”, as I have a hard time finding good quality butchered meats here on the Shore. So when I received these gorgeous Berkshire bone-in porkchops, I was ecstatic. I’d never worked with chops that were so gorgeous before!

Needless to say, I wanted to “do them up” right. I seasoned them simply with salt and pepper and grilled them. I wanted a little fruity kick to pair with them, so I made a simple sauce out of fresh blueberries, brown sugar, and some chipotle peppers.

The sweet and spicy combo was the perfect accent for the meaty chops. I served it all over a bed of cinnamon-spiked mashed sweet potatoes, which is something that one of my favorite restaurants (Bill’s, for you locals) on the island serves with their pork chops…and again, it was the perfect compliment to the other flavors.

With a fresh green veggie on the side, it’s a great hearty summer meal – lighter than your traditional meat and potatoes. Easy, yet certainly impressive enough to serve to company.

Big thanks to D’Artagnan for the hookup! The chops were so tender, juicy, and flavorful. If you too have a problem finding quality meats in your area, head over and check out the selection they have available for delivery. I’ve really been impressed with every single item I’ve tried so far!

Add the quartered sweet potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Boil over medium-high heat until potatoes are tender – about 15 minutes. Drain, and place back in the pot. Add the butter, brown sugar, half & half, and cinnamon. Mash until smooth and well combined. Season to taste with salt. Cover and set aside.

Prepare the sauce by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once blueberries begin to soften and burst, reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer until it’s reduced by about half.

While sauce is reducing, grill the chops. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Season chops with salt and pepper well on both sides. Grill chops for about 3 minutes on each side, internal temperature should reach 140. Remove to a platter and tent with aluminum foil.

To serve, lay down a bed of the sweet potatoes. Followed by a chop. Then spoon over some of the blueberry-chipotle sauce. Serve immediately.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the good folks at D’Artagnan. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A few weeks ago a huge box of goodies arrived on my door sent by the good folks at V&V Supremo. They specialize in Mexican products – chorizo, cheeses, cremas ans sour creams. I have a hard time finding good, authentic Mexican ingredients here in my rural area, so it was a real treat to have so many yummy ingredients at the ready!

I’ve long wanted to make a spin on my Southwestern Potato & Corn Chowder using chorizo for a Mexican twist. So, that’s pretty much what I did. The flavor from the chorizo just melts down into every bite of the soup. Chunks of tender potato and crunchy corn make for a filling soup that fills you up, but doesn’t weigh you down. I used some quesco fresco to crumble on top, and a little fresh cilantro. It was amazing!

I’ll definitely be stocking up on more of their chorizo next time I’m doing a stock-up trip in the big city. It’s great to have around for so many applications, and has so much more flavor than traditional sausage…that isn’t spicy either – just intensely flavored. If you’ve never used chorizo in your kitchen before, this soup is a great place to start! Make this one soon, guys – it’s a winner!

Heat olive oil in large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and cook, breaking up into chunks until it breaks down – about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and peppers. Cook 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook 3 minutes. Slowly add in broth and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Add the corn, the sour cream, and the cooked chorizo – cook for about 15 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want a thicker consistency, give the chowder a few mashes with a potato masher to break down some of the potatoes and thicken the mixture.

To serve, ladle chowder into bowl. Top with crumbled cheese and fresh cilantro.

Disclaimer: I was provided with products courtesy of V&V Supremo. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve talked before about my love of all things mafioso. While I was always a fan of the classics like Goodfellas and The Godfather trilogy, it was really The Sopranos that really cemented that love. One of my favorite cookbooks is The Sopranos Family Cookbook. Everysinglerecipe I’ve tried from it has been wonderful. The first one that I ever made from it’s pages is this recipe for Sunday gravy…

Italians call a meaty sauce that’s been simmered all day a “gravy”. This one is made with the addition of country pork ribs, sausage, and veal – which I leave out (I just can’t get past the baby cow thing). Now, if you’ve never added pork to your red sauce – with all due respect, but you’ve sorely been missing out. It adds such a wonderful richness and complexity that is unparalleled. Sausage is great, but the pork ribs are really where it’s at.

It’s wonderful simply tossed with pasta, or if you want to doll it up even more you can add mozzarella cheese and mini-meatballs to make Ziti al Forno. No matter what you do with it, you can’t go wrong with this sauce. It’s really a staple. Do yourself a favor and make it soon, you won’t regret it! Bada-bing.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Pat the pork dry, season with salt and pepper, and place the pieces in the pot. Cook turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer pork to a plate.

Place the sausages in the pot and brown on all sides. Set the sausages aside with the pork. Drain off most of the rendered fat from the pot.

Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes or until golden. Remove and discard the garlic. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until starting to brown.

Using clean hands, gently squeeze the tomatoes to break them down slightly, and add to the pot (along with the tomato juices). Add the water; and salt and pepper to taste. Add the pork, sausages, and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Rinse your hands with cool water and lightly shape the mixture into 3/4 inch balls.

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet. Add the meatballs and brown them well on all sides. They will finish cooking in the sauce. Transfer the meatballs to a plate.

After the sauce has cooked for its two hours, add the meatballs and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the meats are very tender.

To serve, remove the meats from the sauce and set aside. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce.
Sprinkle with cheese.